


three step process

by womaninthewindow



Category: Pocket Monsters SPECIAL | Pokemon Adventures
Genre: Gen, Lowercase, Post-Canon, Self-Denial
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:40:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26065900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/womaninthewindow/pseuds/womaninthewindow
Summary: lack-two doesn't think about it
Relationships: Lack-Two | Blake & Whi-Two | Whitley
Comments: 2
Kudos: 21





	three step process

_step one: preheat the oven to 400 degrees._

the instructions are all written out on a notecard that sits taped next to the fridge. white’s handwriting is very clear, professional looking. she dots her i’s and crosses the t’s, and nothing goes out of the lines. a handwritten recipe, as simple as it gets.

he doesn’t need it, lack-two insisted. he’s been through things they’ve only had a taste of, but those two don’t listen to him. black and white act like being four years older means they have to keep an eye on him. 

he stares down at the oven. the thermometer slowly ticks upwards. “preheating _matters_.” she had emphasized. he drops into a nearby chair and waits. in the other room, he can hear the faint scratching of dewott moving in his sleep. 

lack-two has been living on his own for almost a year now. he’s been blacklisted from interpol. they didn’t say it in so many words, but he’s been around long enough to know what happens to officers that have been dropped. he was the best they ever had, and probably still is, but those in charge don’t take kindly to rule breakers. 

the appliance beeps. he shoves the waiting pan inside and his eyes flicker back to the notecard.

“do you not know how to cook?” white had asked him. 

“all of my meals were regimented.” lack-two stated. “i can figure it out.”

white made that face everyone does when he talks about his childhood. he’s not stupid. lack-two is, in fact, incredibly good at reading people. he has to be. he knows that when people’s eyebrows pull in like that and their mouths twist to the side, it’s a sign of discomfort. sometimes it’s also pity. he doesn’t like that response.

_step two: place your tray on the second rack. cook for 15 to 18 minutes._

he knows his upbringing was unconventional. 

the others let him stay around-- out of obligation, most likely. sometimes they go into long stories about being young. cheren tries his best to recall the memories, while black shouts out details he forgot and bianca bursts into fits of giggles. white has her own about being on the stage, and even whi-two shares moments between her and her mom. lack-two has nothing of the like. training regiments and mission details. he doesn’t resent it, it’s made him strong after all, but there’s a pricking at the back of his mind. he doesn’t belong to these people. 

he tried to call looker, once. he quickly realized it was foolish and hung up before he got an answer. he doesn’t work for lack-two anymore, so keeping contact would be pointless. another reminder of the life he’s lost.

the boys from trainer school come by sometimes too. they’re usually here to see whi-two, of course. hugh’s looks towards him lean towards indifference. they were never especially close during school, so it doesn’t bother him. they used to talk after class. hugh likes to complain, lack-two likes to listen. it’s a good habit to pick up when figuring things out is your purpose. school, family, girls, whatever was annoying hugh that day. they don’t do that now.

he makes leo nervous.

“is this, like, who you really are?”

lack-two fidgets in his seat. he realizes it’s almost midnight. he doesn’t like how often he’s been losing track of time nowadays. there’s nothing for him to do. he was forced to take time off at interpol too, but that was only for a few days at most, he always had something to look forward to. he stays in shape, keeps his pokemon active, but there’s no goal for him to meet. no mission to complete. he doesn’t lose his composure over it, but it’s frustrating. 

_“you could come work with us.”_

outside pokestar studios several nights ago, with a tepig curled in her lap, whi-two sat with him. they stayed unspeaking until then, letting the city air fill the silence. she works there part time, and he sometimes comes by when she’s done for the day. 

he used to have an excuse, but she stopped asking a long time ago.

“we could be friends,” she had said, eyes downcast towards the sleeping pokemon. “if you wanted to be.”

_step three: when the time is up, let it cool and you’re ready to eat! easy as that!_

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote this before the epilogue dropped, but didn't post it because i didn't think it was worth it. but here we are.


End file.
